Mounting arrangement for rotary compressor



Nov. 4, 1969 L. E. HARLIN MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR ROTARY COMPRESSOR Filed April 19, 1968 INVENTOR 557??? 5 HAQA/A/ 5v M ATTORN EY 3,476,309 MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR ROTARY COMPRESSOR Lester E. Harlin, York, Pa., assignor to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 722,644 Int. Cl. F04b 39/00 US. Cl. 230-235 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mounting arrangement for a rotary compressor. The mounting is constructed so that major loads are taken by the front bearing plate and are not transmitted to the compressor casing.

Background and summary of the invention This invention relates to improvements in rotary compressors of the sliding vane type, for cxampleand more particularly to a mounting for such compressors which is adapted for use in automotive air-conditioning systems.

Compressors used in automotive air-conditioning systems are subjected to abnormally high loads because of road shock, engine vibration and variations in engine speed. This is a particularly critical problem in rotary sliding vane compressors, because of the small clearances between the rotor and the cylinder, both at the contact point and at each end of the rotor. It is common practice to build a rotary compressor in three sectionsa casing or cylinder body, a front bearing plate and a rear bearing plate, all being secured by capscrews extending axially through the three components. As a result, mechanical loads may distort the relationship of the parts and cause rotor seizure which invariably leads to compressor failure.

The present invention provides a mounting, adapted for attaching the compressor to any suitable support, such as the front portion of the engine cylinder block, which allows practically all of the vibration and road shock loads to be absorbed by the front bearing plate. The bearing plate is constructed so that these loads are not transmitted to the rest of the compressor casing in such a way that they would produce significant bending moments or torsion.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved rotary compressor, including a mounting for attachment to a suitable support, to reduce the stresses applied to the compressor casing.

Additional objects and advantages will be apparent from reading the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

Description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view, with portions broken away and sectioned, of the compressor and mounting of the present invention; and

FIGURE 2 is an isometric drawing showing the manner in which the compressor may be attached to a mounting bracket in an automotive air-conditioning application.

Detailed description of the invention Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGURE 1, a compressor constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention comprises a United States Patent ice housing A containing a rotor and a cylinder, which cooperate to provide a pumping chamber, and a shell B surrounding the compressor housing. A description of the details of the compressor is not necessary for a proper understanding of the invention. Accordingly, reference may be had to my copending application Ser. No. 716,066 for a more complete description of a rotary sliding vane compressor of a type suitable for use in this combination.

The housing A includes a front bearing plate 10, a casing 12 rigidly secured thereto by a plurality of capscrews 14. A rear bearing plate (not shown) forms one end of the housing and provides one side wall of the pumping chamber. The shell B is attached to the front bearing plate 10 by a retainer ring 16 and a plurality of capscrews 18 extending through the front bearing plate 10, a peripheral flange 20 on the shell B, and the retaining ring 16.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, it will be noted that the compressor illustrated is especially adapted to be used in an automotive air-conditioning system as the refrigerant vapor compressor. As is common, the rotor is driven through a conventional electromagnetic clutch assembly 22 which is actuated by a temperature response control (not shown). The drive component of the clutch assembly comprises a V-belt pulley 24 mounted on the compressor housing, said pulley being driven by a V-belt 26 from the fan pulley or accessory drive pulley 28.

The suction gas from the evaporator is admitted through a passage 30 in the front bearing plate 10 and flows directly to the suction stage of the compressor pumping chamber. This gas is discharged, preferably through a discharge valve assembly, into the space enclosed by the shell B. A discharge line may be connected to a fitting 32 through which the high pressure gas leaves the shell to flow to the condenser in the refrigeration system.

As mentioned above, an important aspect of the present invention is the manner in which the compressor is mounted in its operative position. The retainer ring 16, which holds the flange 20 on the shell in fluid tight en- .gagement with the front bearing plate is provided with spaced, radially extending projections 34 which are provided with openings to receive bolts 36 or other suitable fasteners. The bolts are secured directly to a mounting bracket 40- which is, in turn, fastened to the main support structure. In the case of the application illustrated, this would be the front of the engine cylinder block (not shown).

If additional support is required for the shell, a bracket 42 may be welded or otherwise secured to the rear portion of the shell for attachment to another mounting bracket (not shown) connected to the cylinder block. This additional support is normally unnecessary since the retaining ring is usually rugged enough to support the weight of the compressor by itself.

It can be seen that the shock loads from the engine are applied through the mounting bracket directly to the retainer ring 16 which is adapted to apply them uniformly to the rigid front bearing plate 10. The compressor housing A, which is fastened directly to the front bearing plate, cannot be subjected to bending moments or torsion which might stress the housing and produce a change in the relationship of the parts making up the housing, i.e., the

bearing plate, the casing and the rear bearing plate.

understood that this is by way of illustration and not by way of limitation; and the scope of the appended claim should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.

What is claimed is:

1. A mounting for a rotary compressor of the type including a casing having a cylinder formed therein, a rotor adapted to compress a fluid introduced into said cylinder, and a generally cylindrical shell completely surrounding said casing, said shell having a radially extending flange extending around the peripheral edge thereof; said 10 mounting comprising a retaining ring adapted to hold said flange in fluid tight engagement with said casing; a plurality of radially extending, circumferentially spaced 4 projections on said retaining ring; a mounting bracket adapted to be secured to a fixed support; and means for fastening said projections to said mounting bracket.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,289,441 7/1942 Valley et a1. 230-152 3,135,460 6/1964 Galin. 3,343,782 9/1967 Brewer et a1. 230-157 ROBERT M. WALKER, Primary Examiner 

